The VIN -- the 17-character vehicle identification number -- on your 2004 Ford Explorer is located on a plaque on the driver’s side of the dash where the dashboard and windshield almost merge. By decoding it, you learn where your truck was made and which Ford business unit built it. You also learn specific information about brakes, body type, engine type, the model year and its sequence number.
To decode your SUV’s VIN successfully, download the Ford VIN decoder for your vehicle’s model year and use it to interpret the VIN number. The first three numbers of the VIN tell you which of Ford’s business units is the vehicle manufacturer. Position four tells you your truck’s gross vehicle weight rating, the type of brakes it has and the kind of passenger restraints installed in the factory. The fifth, sixth and seventh characters identify the truck’s line number, series and body type. Position eight identifies the engine originally installed, and position nine is a check digit. Your 2004 truck should have a “4” for 2004, in the 10th position. The 11th digit identifies the assembly plant at which your Explorer was built. This is followed by a six-digit production sequence number in places 12 through 17.
